Method and device for charging shower and similar baths with soap emulsion in water



March 1954 JACQUES-ALBERT P. DEPORT 2,672,366 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CHARGING SHOWER AND SIMILAR BATHS WITH SOAP EMULSION IN WATER Filed July 30, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l lav 6127501 RT P. DEPORT 2,672,366

NG SHOWER AND SIMILAR P EMULSION IN WAT JACQUES-AL METHOD AN EVICE F A B S WITH March] 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 30, 1951 Inventor ft/q. 7

Patented Mar. 16, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CHARGING SHOWER AND SIMILAR BATHS WITH SOAP EMULSION IN WATER Jacques-Albert Paul Depart, Paris, France Application July30, 1951, Serial No. 239,288

2 Claims. 1

The object of the present invention is in the first place a method which consists, in installations utilised for washing human beings and animals, and of which the type is for example a shower installation, of incorporating in water previous to its utilisation, a lathering product and particularly a soap, in such a manner that said installation can deliver direct a soap emulsion into the water ready to lather.

Another object of the present invention is a device utilised for the functioning of said method, said device comprising, according to one of the preferred methods of operation, a distributor with which it is possible by the operation of a single element, to admit at will, either a soap emulsion into the water, or pure water for rinsing, and to regulate at will, the one or the other of the outputs, said distributor serving at the same time as a faucet. According to one of the features of said distributor, this latter comprises a device which, in the position in which said distributor assures the output of a soap emulsion, reduces the section of the passage of water admitted in view of said emulsion. According to another preferred embodiment, a reduction of the passage of water is obtained by the agency of interchangeable plugs, of calibrated borings, which allows the choosing, according to circumstances and particularly according to the nature of soap utilised, the most appropriate passage section.

The present invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a first form of embodiment.

Figs. 2 and 3 are relative to variations of methods of execution of a liquid soap distributor.

Fig. 4 is a front view of another form of embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a view of one of the elements of Fig. 4, shown at 90 in relation to Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is relative to a variation of the device shown in Fig. 4.

Figs. 7 to 9 are cross section views of a distributor for the following respective positions: closed-distributor of soap emulsion, distribution of pure water.

Fig. 10 shows details of distributor interchangeable sockets.

Fig. 11 is a front view of a distributor.

Fig. 12 is a view of a shower installation provided with a device according to Figs. 7 to 11.

According to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a receptacle l is mounted, by means of a junction 2, on sleeve 8, the sleeve being mounted by junctions 4 and 5, on pipe 6, between sprinkler or spray head 1 and faucet 8. Pipe 6 is branched on the hot and cold water mixing faucet in the known manner not shown in Fig. 1.

Receptacle I, containing an appropriate liquid soap is provided at its base with a regulator 9 for controlling the output of said liquid soap, which ensures the obtaining of the correct amount of liquid soap for the desired emulsion.

The soap distributing socket, which opens at the interior of sleeve 3 is, for example, comprised of a curved tube ll), of which the extremity is partially flattened or of a straight tube 10a, either (Fig. 2) terminating in a ball drilled with holes or simple (Fig. 3), drilled with holes at its sides.

The movement of the water in the interior of sprinkler i, determines the emulsion of the liquid soap the utilisor can thus soap himself and interrupt the flow of liquid soap by closing regulator '9 and proceed with rinsing.

It is understood that receptacle 1 .can be placed at a certain distance from the incoming water pipe, for example against a vertical support in which case it is connecting by piping to sleeve 3. Said receptacle can comprise a transparent side or be completely transparent, and in this latter case, it can be provided with a graduated scale.

The method of embodiment shown in Figs. 4 to 6 is particularly applicable to large installations.

In the case of liquid soap reservoir, being relatively large, it is connected to sleeve 3 by pipe 12, furnished with a faucet l3, and the admission of liquid soap instead of being effected by gravity only, is effected by the agency of pump H, for example actioned by an appropriate device 15, said pump being branched on pipe l2, within reach of the utilisor between faucet l3 and sleeve 3.

In the case of an even larger installation, comprising a great number of showers, a feed tank l6 can be installed at the output of receptacle I (Fig. 6) several feed pipes being branched from said feed tank for feeding individually each shower.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 7 to 12, the distributor is constituted in the manner of a faucet I! of which the sleeve 18 comprises passages or ducts i9, 20 and 2! whichaccording to the position occupied by said sleeve when it is moved by control bar 22-serv es as a blocking faucet (position of Fig. 7) assures the flow of soap emulsion (position of Fig. 8), in 23 toward the utilisation apparatus, water being admitted through pipe 6 and soap through pipe 24, and

3 finally allows rinsing with pure water (position of Fig. 9).

One of the passages 2| of sleeve l8 by which water flows for the position which corresponds to the distribution of soap emulsion comprises a removable plug 25, the details of which are shown in Fig. 10; said plug is threaded at the exterior in order that it can be screwed into sleeve i8 and is bored with a conduit 28 by which the flow is effected. The plug is removable and plugs having different borings such as 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm. etc. can be adapted according to requirements.

Fig. 12 shows an example of an installation comprising: incoming hot water 21, incoming cold I water 28, mixer 29, distributor l1, shower apparatus l, soap reservoir i.

It is evident that pipe 30 which feeds shower apparatus 1 can feed simultaneously several other shower apparatus.

The device in any of the forms of embodiment heretofore described is, it is understood, applicable to whatever soap, utilised. It can serve, in particular, for the application of shampooingapplication which, as is known i followed by a rinsing with water, as well as for all other utilisations for which it is necessary to employ soap in water, the faucet or faucets can be subjected to all mechanical controls, automatic or not.

The device according to the present invention is applicable, without need of costly transformations, to existing installations.

I claim:

1. A shower apparatus of the type having a shower head, a water supply, a soap supply and a distributing unit, including a valve body, operatively coupled to the Water supply, soap supply and the shower head, a sleeve, rotatably mounted within said valve body, provided with two pairs of diametrically opposed ducts, the ducts of one pair being of lesser diameter than the ducts of the other pair, the said plug being mounted in one of the ducts of lesser diameter, characterized in that the ducts of lesser diameter are so located as to be brought into registry with the Water inlet conduit and the soap inlet port and the outlet port to introduce the mixture of water and soap into the outlet port whereas the ducts of greater diameter are so located as to be brought into registry with the water inlet and outlet ports to introduce water only into the outlet port.

2. In a shower apparatus of the type having a shower head, a water supply, a soap supply and a distributing unit operatively coupled to the water supply, soap supply and the shower head, such distributing unit including a valve body provided with a water inlet port, a soap inlet port and an outlet port, conduits leading from the water supply and the soap supply to the said inlet ports in the valve body, a further conduit connecting the outlet port with the said shower head, a sleeve rotatably mounted within said valve body and provided with two pairs of diametrically opposed ducts, the ducts of one pair being of lesser diameter than the ducts of the other pair, the ducts of lesser diameter being so located as to be brought into registry with thefwater inlet conduit and the soap inlet port and the outlet port to introduce the mixture of Water and soap into the outlet port whereas the ducts of greater diameter are so located as to be brought into registry with the water inlet and outlet ports to introduce water only into the outlet port, and a plug provided With a bore therein of a predetermined diameter removably mounted in one of the ducts of lesser diameter to regulate the volume of water, or water and soap passing therethrough.

JACQUES-ALBERT PAUL DEPORT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 541,716 Callahan June 25, 1895 2,156,114 Gilford Apr. 25, 1939 2,215,000 Isenberg Sept. 17, 1940 2,316,781 Fox Apr. 20, 1943 2,381,589 Hayes Aug. '7, 1945 2,514,000 Kent July 4, 1950 2,551,738 Hanthorn May 3, 1951 2,562,415 Chase July 31, 1951 2,564,618 Williams Aug. 14, 1951 

